Duterte's defense team raises issues over prosecution's evidence disclosure at ICC

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, held its third status conference in the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. Duterte's defense team raised concerns over the volume and organization of evidence disclosed by the prosecution. Duterte appeared in person before the Court for the first time since his initial appearance hearing in March 2025. The 81-year-old former president was seated inside the courtroom before the judges arrived, according to a report by GMA News stringer Andy Penafuerte III. Duterte's counsel, Peter Haynes, stated that the prosecution's evidence list contains nearly 20,000 items, but an additional 62,500 exhibits have been "dumped" in the Registry. He described the evidence, which includes 324,000 pages and over 1,000 video and audio files running to many thousands of hours, as being in a "terrible mess." Haynes also revealed that the defense team considered using artificial intelligence (AI) and other electronic methods to review the tens of thousands of documents but found that a suitable AI tool could cost nearly half a million euros (almost P36.18 million). ICC Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner advised the Prosecution to think about reducing the number of their witnesses. During the third status conference, several groups of Filipino workers and residents in the Netherlands held a protest. The case is related to alleged human rights abuses during Duterte's administration, including the deaths of thousands during the "war on drugs." The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2018, but investigations within the country have continued even after the former president left office.